I have finally got this post put together, its been awhile in the making! I wanted to get down all the dates and events we went through during Liam's NICU stay so I'll have a place to look back at if we forget anything.
July 22nd, 2011
Liam was born at 10:24am. He was only in the recovery room with me for a little while before they took him to the nursery because his breathing rate seemed fast. Once in the nursery his pediatrician was called and when she was told how fast he was breathing she said to send him to the NICU. Once in the NICU they put him under an oxygen hood and had him on 80% oxygen. We breathe 21% so he was needing quite alot extra.
This was my first time to see him and kiss his cheek
this was my first time to see him later that evening in the NICU, wish it wasn't blurry!
July 24, 2011; Liam was getting chest xrays each day to see if the fluid in his lungs was decreasing. After 2 days and it hadn't gone away and he was still needing so much oxygen the doctors thought maybe he had pneumonia, they started him on IV antibiotics and drew blood cultures. I was told it would take at least 5 days to run the full dose of antibiotics so he would be in the NICU at least another week. Here are our pictures with him from this day;
Our little astronaut!
July 25, 2011; this was the hardest day for us but looking back it was the best day for Liam. The doctors got his blood cultures back and they didn't show any signs of pneumonia or infections. They then concluded that Liam had RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome). I walked into the NICU with my friend Nicole expecting to just see him like we had been doing but I instantly noticed the ventilation machine next to his bed. My heart dropped, I asked the nurse if it was for him and she said yes. I broke down, his NICU doctor came over and explained to me that RDS means he was either born without surfactant in his lungs or he used up what little he had breathing so fast when he was born. Either way he needed to be given some and the only way to do that was by sedating and intubating him. Nicole was great, she went to get chris for me and I attempted to explain to him what the doctor had told me. When we got back to my room we both held each other and cried. The doctor came to my room when they had finished giving him the surfactant. It was really hard to see our little guy with the breathing tube, sedated and a little swollen. We couldn't touch him because he had to be kept sterile while the tube was in. They planned to keep him on morphine for at least 24 hours to give his little body a rest. While this was the hardest day for us it was really the turning point for Liam, we finally knew what was wrong with him and how to fix it!
July 27, 2011. What a glorious day this was!!! We walked into the NICU to see the breathing machine gone and only a nasal canula remained!! Praise the Lord. Our little guy's respiratory rate was much lower than before. He had a feeding tube in his nose but this day he got to try a bottle for the first time and he took it like a pro!
"pirate-eye"
July 28, 2011. This may be my favorite day to look back on (besides the day he came home of course!). This was the day I got to hold my son for the first time!!! We had our favorite nurse and she said if he continued to have a good day then she would let me try holding him that evening. I didn't want to get my hopes up but I practically bounced walking into the hospital that evening. It wasn't the easiest thing trying to situate him with all the tubes and wires but I didn't care. He was in my arms and that was all that mattered!! Chris had gotten to hold him in the operating room so he kindly let me have him all to myself. Of course I didn't want to let him go, I wanted to get up and run away with him :). But, of course I did eventually let him go.
an AMAZING moment!
Chris feeding him a bottle
July 29, 2011. On this day, at one week old, Liam got to try breastfeeding for the first time and was quite a champ! I had been very worried that he wouldn't latch right or ultimately wouldn't be able to breastfeed but my fears were unfounded. Even though he had only ever taken a bottle and we had never had any skin to skin contact he knew I was his momma and he was ready. The only frustration was the NICU rules. According to their rules he had to breastfeed for a full 15 min for it to count and not have to supplement with a bottle. Even Avery never did a full 15 min as a newborn. So on this day he did get a few bottles after I fed him even though I'm pretty sure he didn't need them and he would hardly take any. Chris also got to hold him for the first time since the operating room;
July 30, 2011. This was my 2nd hardest/frustrating day. We had a new nurse and not only was she a stickler about the 15 min rule she also was never around. I came in to feed him and when he didn't eat a "full 15 min" she left to warm up a bottle. She was gone for more than 30 minutes only to come by and say "oops I forgot to turn on the warmer". Liam was completely content and sleeping but she insisted he needed more. Poor Cindy tried to give him a bottle like we were told but of course he wouldn't take more than a few gulps. Then his respiratory rate started to get elevated, I was looking around for the nurse and his doctor came by. When she saw his respiratory rate she said he could no longer bottle feed and they needed to put the tube back down his nose to give him the rest. Ahh talk about frustrated. I knew he wasn't hungry, plus this was more than an hour since I'd fed him so by forcing him to eat now he wouldn't be hungry at his next feeding! We ended up staying while another nurse (his was still nowhere to be found) put the tube in. I should've left for that because he did NOT like it but couldn't bear to leave him after what all had happened. I left the hospital feeling a little defeated. I just wanted to be his mother. In the NICU I wasn't in charge, the nurses and doctors were, that is a hard pill to swallow.
Gramma and Liam
July 30, 2011. On this day they moved Liam to a different part of the NICU room, in a normal bed and out of the isolete. This day Liam also got to be held by each one of his grandparents!!
Papa Rhodes and Liam
Gigi and Liam
Papa T and Liam
July 31, 2011. Another amazing day! The doctors turned Liam's O2 down to a 1 and that evening took him completely off his nasal canula. The moved him to the "step down" room, the room for babies who were close to going home!! We also took our "going home" class that evening.
"milk coma" :) before they took him off his nasal canula.
Aunt Nini came to visit and got to hold him for the first time that night! this was in the Step down room!
Aug 2, 2011. I was secretly hoping that he would get to come home with us that evening but instead we "roomed in". Basically, we checked back into the hospital for the night and took care of Liam without any assistance from nurses etc. We did have to check in(call his nurse) every 3 hrs and let them know how he ate and if he had a wet/dirty diaper. This was our first official night with our little guy and funny as it sounds he slept the best with the TV on. I think he was used to the lights and noises from the NICU. This evening he also got to meet his big sister for the first time. Avery LOVED him! it was the sweetest thing to watch her with him.
first time meeting bubba!
sweet kisses
Aug 3, 2011. Today we took our little guy HOME!! We left the hospital around noon after his last visit with the NICU doctor and formal release. Chris and I were both very antsy when they took him back to the NICU to be looked over one last time. I just prayed they wouldn't find any reason that he couldn't come home. Our prayers were answered!!!
headed home!! (same blanket Avery came home with)
So happy that our family is COMPLETE! :)
